May 14, 2017 - Brown Pelicans - Diving for Food

In January and February, we again stayed on St. George Island, Florida. Brown Pelicans were a common sight on the beach. The mostly gray plumage and white feathers on the neck identify this as an adult Brown Pelican. I watched many of these birds diving into the Gulf of Mexico for food and I assume they were usually going after fish. I photographed many of these dives in an attempt to document how they did it. The dives happen quickly so I usually only got one decent photo per dive. The photos below show several pelicans in various stages of a dive.

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Pelicans soar over the coast looking for fish in the shallow water below. This is a juvenile pelican, identified by its brown plumage. It will acquire adult plumage by its third year.

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When a pelican spots a fish below, it pulls up and prepares to dive

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The pelican is very focused as it begins the dive.

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It starts tucking in its wings.

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This is how it looks from the underside.

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The wings get pulled back even further as it approaches the water.

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Getting ready for impact.

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This pelican looks like it is going in at the wrong angle. Perhaps it had to make a last-minute adjustment because the fish moved.

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Caught at the moment of impact! With such a small splash, the Olympic judges would be very impressed.

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